A. Situation analysis
Description of the disaster
Atypical flash flooding was reported in the northern department of San Pedro in Paraguay in December, affecting up to 19,750 people (3,950 families) in the department, with 2,845 people in collective centres and an estimated 2,600 people located in areas blocked due to the flooding . Alongside the unusual precipitation (heavy rain storms and hail), these flash floods have led to the overflowing of the Jejuí, Paraguay, Aguaraymi, Aguaray-Guazú Rivers in the San Pedro department. On 23 December 2015, a state of emergency was declared through Act 5561 for municipalities in the departments of Concepción, San Pedro, Misiones, Ñeembucu, Amambay, Presidente Hayes and Central. A DREF operation was launched on 24 December for CHF 155,097 to support Paraguay Red Cross to deliver assistance to up to 1,045 households (5,225 people) through emergency health and care, water and sanitation as well as food security and nutrition activities.
Please note that while Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) funding was issued on 24 December, the escalating situation in other parts of the country, including Asuncion, has resulted in a request for a second allocation while an assessment to inform the preparation of an emergency appeal is underway. As most of the funds from the first allocation have already been committed to the procurement of relief items, the small second allocation is to enable some relief activities while the emergency appeal is being prepared.
In the following days, heavy rains persisted and inundated other parts of the country. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) report issued on 28 December 2015, at least 130,000 people across the country were evacuated because of river overflows caused by heavy rains. The department of Asunción has been the most affected by rising river levels, which have reached 7.71 metres, the highest level in the past 20 years. This situation has been attributed to the El Niño phenomenon.
A total of 114 collective centres have been set up in Asunción to house 12,649 families who were evacuated from several areas either because they have been affected or are at risk from overflowing rivers.
In the districts of Guayaibi, Capiivary, San Pedro de Ycuamandyyú, Lima and Nueva Germania 1,105 families were also affected by hail storms.
This plan of action is being expanded to meet the humanitarian needs of the affected population in Asunción. The Paraguayan Red Cross and IFRC are assessing the situation to increase aid for the affected communities, and they are planning to launch an emergency appeal.